Running Out of Time
by Lipsticked Mirror
Summary: Puck is a man on a mission: to complete his list of "Things to do Before I Graduate." There's only one left, and it takes a little reminiscing to motivate him to finish what he started and leave nothing unsaid before they walk to "Pomp and Circumstance."


**I apologize in advance for this really long Author's Note. And I'm now officially disclaiming any rights to Glee. I would just really hate it if anybody stole my story and claimed it as their own, since I spent a lot of time putting this together.**

**So, I know I'm supposed to be writing **_**To London**_** right now, but I'm kind of lacking motivation for it right now and am being inspired to work on some side projects. This is one of them, obviously. Hopefully this summer I'll have more time to work on **_**To London**_** and keep you guys from wanting to kill me for leaving you on edge. And if you haven't read it yet, you should!**

**I saw Kurt Schneider's **_**Nothing Left Unsaid**_** on Youtube and was inspired to write something with a similar storyline because it was just so cute and sentimental, making me reflect on my own adventures that I had with my friends since I'm graduating high school next week. I really hope that no one tries to get on me for copyright stuff or for stealing any ideas, since I see that it's become an issue with a lot of stories on FF. I'm writing this with the intention of crediting Schneider for the basis of the idea but with me as writing a fairly different story. (And if anyone has already written a story like this, I'm sorry. I really had no idea.) On that note, you should watch it and see the amazing talent that this guy has for the media arts (and listen to his original song **_**Don't Want an Ending**_**, the background music to this story, sung by the amazing Sam Tsui) as well as the talent of his cast! **

**Here is the obligatory shout out to my friend, Kelly, whom I bounced ideas off of. Thanks, Fatty. You worked off some calories and burned off some of your snackage helping me with this, haha ;)**

**Warning: This doesn't follow the show's storyline, and the characters are OOC. Plus, I think I'm going to be mean and pretend like they were never in Glee club. So…yeah. And it's rated T just because I felt like it.**

**So this is for you, Class of 2010! WE'RE DONE!**

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Running Out of Time

Sitting on the cold metal bleachers and fiddling with a piece of paper, Puck stared out at the football field that he had spent most of his high school career playing on. It was the day that he finally got to graduate from this hellhole and move on to bigger and better things in his life. He was finally going to make something of himself. But Puck couldn't help but feel like he wasn't ready to move on yet.

It had become a habit for him to spend time at the football field whenever he just needed time to think or be alone.

Every so often, Puck looked back at the piece of paper to reread its contents, sighing with the need for satisfaction. _All but one_, he thought. Puck let his mind wander, thinking about what he needed to do before graduation.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), his reverie was interrupted by none other than his friend, the ever-erratic Mike Chang, who was making his way across the bleachers.

"Puckerman! What are you doing out here? They need us in the gym in five minutes," Mike said, waving his hands in Puck's face. "Let's get out there! Graduation, remember?"

Puck groaned. "Can you just give me a minute, please?"

"What is this? Possibly a secret _loooove _note for Mr. _Noah _Puckerman?" Mike asked in an obnoxious sing-song voice, snatching the piece of paper from his friend's hands. "Dude, seriously? It's a little too late for people to be sending secret admirer notes, don't ya think?" The Asian straightened the paper out and read the top of it: "'Things to do before I graduate?' Never took you for one to make lists, Puck."

"Yeah… it's just something I kept…" Puck muttered as he stood up to leave for the ceremony.

"Oh yeah, I totally had one of these lists. When I was a _freshman_," Mike said, rolling his eyes. "And that was before Matt and I kidnapped all of the frogs before the Honors Bio dissection lab and left them in Sue Sylvester's trophy case!"

"That's all that was on your list?"

Mike didn't answer him as he continued to read through the list. The two were making their way to the gym, where all of the graduates were to assemble before the ceremony in the auditorium.

Puck jumped up in surprise when, out of nowhere, Mike shouted, "Oh, I remember that one! That was ah-_may_-zing!" as he excitedly poked the paper to show Puck what he was referring to.

"Yeah, that was a good one," Puck said, smiling. "Remember, we were playing Donkey Kong? I guess we were at it a little too long because you were totally into it until you paused the game and shouted…"

* * *

"_I'm feeling frisky!" the Asian had shouted. "Now…who is up for an ADVENTURE?"_

_Puck and Matt just stared at Mike while Finn dimly asked, "Adventure? Like what?"_

"_I don't know," Mike admitted. "But come on! Isn't there something that you've always wanted to do?"_

_Puck and Matt shook their heads. _

_Finn's eyes shined with hope as he quipped, "Go to a fair?"_

_Before the other two boys could laugh and make fun of their friend, Mike jumped up and said, "YES! That's it! There's going to be the Labor Day carnival tonight in town. It would be a great way to end summer vacation! We should so go!"_

_Mike and Finn's enthusiasm was so adorable and reminded them of puppies that Puck and Matt relented and agreed to go. (But if you ask them, they'll deny it and claim that they were bored with nothing else to do.)_

_On the way to the fair, Mike and Finn were jumping up and down in their seats, feeling "frisky." Soon after arriving, the boys headed to the arcade area ready to kick some ass. To their surprise, they ran into a familiar group of girls in the cotton candy line._

"_Mike!" Quinn Fabray squealed. She leaped up and hugged the boy who had held a huge crush on her since sophomore year. "Fancy seeing you here!"_

_Quinn wasn't alone. She had brought Brittany, Tina, and Rachel to the fair with her. Puck recognized the girls from school but realized that he didn't really know them that well._

_Soon enough, Puck found himself and the rest of their group coupled off. Mike took off with Quinn with his arms around her shoulders, promising to win her a gigantic teddy bear with his manly physical prowess while Finn and Tina skipped off to the fun house._

_The remaining four decided to go on the Ferris wheel, something Puck hadn't ever done before (shut up, he's never had time to; tell anyone, and he'll toss you into a dumpster). It looked as if the seating had already been determined when Puck noticed that Matt and Brittany were holding an intense conversation about dolphins, which left Puck feeling uneasy as he didn't really know the petite brunette._

_Puck and Rachel sat awkwardly next to each other on the Ferris wheel. Despite having gone to school together for the past four years, they had never really held a conversation, let alone be formally introduced. They only knew each other by reputation._

"_So…" Rachel started. Deciding to be brave, she stuck her hand out to him. "I'm Rachel Berry, by the way."_

_He grabbed her hand firmly and shook it. "I know. Noah Puckerman."_

_She blushed and replied with an "I know" before looking away again._

_The awkward silence between the two returned, otherwise filled with the creaking of the Ferris wheel and the happy voices from below them. Every now and then, Puck found himself looking at and admiring Rachel while the two made small talk._

_Little did they know, the pair was in the seat that got to be at the top of the wheel when it stopped._

_Puck wasn't afraid of heights, but he was feeling nervous and sick at the thought of being in a romantic position with a pretty girl that he barely knew. And that's what scared him the most. _The Puckasaurus does not get nervous around chicks,_ he thought. _What the hell is wrong with me tonight?

_Rachel leaned over the safety bar and gasped. "It's so beautiful! Look at the view, Noah! You can see everything from up here…"_

_He had to admit, the view was breathtaking. _

But it's not as breathtaking as she is,_ he thought._ Damn it, Puckerman! Get it together!

_Rachel turned to him excitedly and asked, "Hey. Do you want to scream?"_

"_What? Why?" Puck asked incredulously._

"_Well, don't you sometimes feel like you just want to shout at the whole world?"_

_Puck thought about it for a moment. "Um…sure. After you."_

_Rachel tilted her head towards him and shoots him a mischievous smile. "How about _with_ you?" she whispered._

_He was just so shocked and turned on at the vivaciousness and daring that this girl had that he just mutely nodded._

_And the moment she started yelling, he yelled with her, shocking everyone at the carnival._

_When the wheel started moving again, the two fell back laughing, and Puck wrapped his arm around Rachel like it was the most natural thing in the world. And when they got off the ride, Rachel grabbed his hand and Puck found himself wanting to never let go. He let her drag him around the fair to eat cotton candy, play games, talk (he actually held a conversation with a girl!), and have the most fun he had had in a _really_ long time._

_They spent the rest of the evening together at the fair before bidding adieu and promising to hang out with each other at school, a promise they never broke._

_Turns out that, when you scream with someone at the world from the top of the Ferris wheel, they kind of become your new best friend._

_

* * *

_

"Yeah, my frisks always lead to great adventures," Mike proudly said. He looked back down at the list, and his face lighted up with recognition. Leaning over to show Puck, he said, "Oh, I remember that one! That was so much fun!"

Puck smiled. "Yeah, that was an awesome day."

As he and Mike entered the gym, Puck's eyes were immediately drawn to land on the girl who had played a big part in completing his list this past year. Rachel looked up and gave him a small smile and a nod, to which he returned with a half-hearted and hesitant wave.

"Well, parts of it were."

* * *

_Puck and Rachel decided to celebrate finishing their last final of their high school career by hanging out at the lake. Now, they only had to wait a week until graduation. The pair sat on the edge of the dock, wading their feet in the water and occasionally splashing each other as they discussed their future plans. _

_He had known for a while that Rachel was going to leave right after graduation for a summer music program at NYU only to stay there for college in the fall, while he was stuck in Lima until leaving for Purdue in August. He couldn't help but feel that his dread for graduation was growing more and more with each passing day, knowing that soon she would be gone and out of his life forever. (Because really? Keeping in touch over Facebook just isn't the same.)_

_Puck was getting restless thinking about it and decided that he needed something to distract him._

"_It's way too hot and too nice of a day to just sit here, Rach," he said. "Let's go for a swim."_

_When she nodded and proceeded to peel her shirt off, revealing her modest black bra, taking off his own clothes was all Puck could do to keep from staring and possibly embarrassing himself._

_He was down to his boxers when he turned to look at Rachel. "Ready?" She smiled in response. "Okay. One, two—"_

_Rachel grabbed his hand and pulled him into the water with her. When he made his way back to the water's surface, Puck sputtered water and looked at her in surprise._

"_Couldn't just wait 'til three?" he asked incredulously._

"_Why does everyone always wait 'til three?" Rachel countered, moving closer to him teasingly._

_Their eyes stayed on each other silently for a long moment. When he noticed a wet strand of Rachel's hair was stuck to her forehead, Puck's hand instinctively reached out to brush it back and then rested it on the back of her neck. _

_Possessed to finally act upon his feelings for her, he leaned in to kiss her. But before their lips touched, she moved her head away from him._

_Puck pulled away, embarrassed. "Uh…"_

"_I'm sorr—" they both started simultaneously then flushed beet red. _

"_I'm sorry," Puck repeated, looking down. "I just…I just thought that—uh…"_

_Rachel cut him off. "I really like you. It's just… there's one week left until graduation, and I don't want—"_

"_I understand. I was just…uh…in the moment," Puck said, as though to convince himself more than her._

"_Don't worry about it," she said._

_They waded in the water awkwardly, not meeting each other's eyes, both wanting to say something and yet nothing at the same time._

_

* * *

_

"Yeah, that sucks," Mike said. "But I mean, hey, you got a lot of great stuff on this list, man." Looking at the last few items on the list, Mike noticed one off thing. "Hey, here's one you haven't checked off yet."

Puck leaned over to see what Mike was referring to. "Yeah, that's 'cause I haven't done it."

"But it's the only one on the entire list," Mike said incredulously.

"Yeah, I know."

"What? We are two minutes away from walking down to 'Pomp and Circumstance,' you know, the graduation march? There's no turning back once they hit play! What's it gonna be, dude? You have an entire list full of adventures here… Leaving even one box unchecked… It's just wrong!" Mike yelled, losing his breath at the end of his rant. Despite the "quiet Asian" stereotype people assumed he followed, Mike sure knew how to ramble.

Puck thought for a moment. "You're right," he said to Mike. Then, he started to walk away from his friend purposefully.

"Puck, where are you going? That was not a suggestion!"

Puck smirked and tossed a pen and his mortarboard to Mike. "Keep these warm for me."

He made his way through the throng of students until he found the girl he needed to talk to, who was laughing with her friends. Puck reached out and took a hold of her arm. "Rachel…"

She smiled hesitantly at him. "Noah. What are you doing? We're about to walk…"

"Yeah, I know. There's just something I have to say before we do." He took a deep breath. "I know we're minutes away from graduating, and you're going to New York tomorrow, and I'm gonna be leaving for Indiana in August, and I don't know how we're going to make anything work, but I do know that you're the only girl that I've ever met who will scream at the top of a Ferris wheel or refuse to wait 'til three to jump. To be honest, Rach, you're one of the coolest girls I've ever met. And I couldn't just let you walk out of my life after today without having told you that or at least attempting to try for us."

That's when he noticed that Rachel's jaw had dropped. Puck's eyes fell to the ground before he could see her face change with disappointment. (Little did he know that her brilliant smile had started to grow.) "Well, that's all I needed to say," he said, his voice tinged with disappointment and failure. "Later, Rachel."

As Puck quickly walked back towards Mike to take his place in the line, Rachel composed herself and ran after him. "Wait! Noah, will you just wait?"

He turned around and found himself catching her as Rachel leaped into his arms. Puck set her down and looked at her with an unasked question in his eyes as she rested her hands on his neck and held his gaze.

"You're a pretty cool cat yourself, Noah Puckerman," Rachel said, smiling.

Lifting herself up, she met Puck's lips, finally getting the kiss that they both wanted. And it was everything and more than either of them expected. It was both electric and calming and felt _oh so right_.

They hadn't realized that their kiss was met with applause and cheers from their fellow seniors.

Rachel blushed, making her already pink cheeks even more so, and Puck loved it. She looked up at him and said the words he had been hoping to hear. "We'll figure it out."

He grabbed her hands firmly, and the two just stared into each other's eyes.

"All right, McKinley High Class of 2010! Are you ready to graduate?" Mr. Schuester, everyone's favorite Spanish teacher, shouted.

"After you," Rachel whispered.

Puck smirked. "How about _with_ you?"

As they grinned goofily at each other, Mike came up and wrapped his arm around his friends' shoulders. "Well, guys, it's time to graduate!" He pushed Rachel back towards her spot in line and gave Puck back his mortarboard, reminding him that he too needed to return to his line.

Mike pulled out the piece of paper and the pen Puck gave him out of his pocket. Smiling triumphantly, he marked the remaining box.

'_Nothing left unsaid,'_ he thought, reading the words next to the box. _Check_.

Fin

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**Another Note: Smiles? Reviews? Send 'em my way? (In case you noticed, although I'm a big Finn/Quinn fan, I kind of shipped Mike/Quinn in this one just because I seem to always see Mike being sweet to Quinn in the episodes and Harry and Dianna were so cute together at the concert. Seriously! I loved seeing them live! Mark Salling was so much hotter in person ;] )**


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